Relationships Give Me Migraines
by RogueFanKC
Summary: Set in Red Witch's Misfitverse! Due to the new developments between Jake Clawson and Justin, the Misfits, XMen, and Joes try to spend time with the Dinosaucers, despite the chaos that only comes as a side effect of the insanity of the teams!


**Author's Notes: I do not own the characters of G.I. Joe or X-Men Evolution! They are the sole, respective property of Hasbro and Marvel Comics. The character, Jake Clawson, is from "SWAT Kats" and thus, is owned by Hanna-Barbera. The universe of the Misfit and all characters including Althea, Blind Master, Lina, Xi, and Trinity are all property of gifted writer, Red Witch! "Dinosaucers" and the Secret Scouts are owned by Coca-Cola Entertainment and DiC Studios Incorporated. I do own the OC characters, Justin (aka Whitelighter) and the Dinosaucers: Struthio, Raptor, Compy, Plateo, and Montacera! I am not here to earn any money off this fic, and I have credited everyone and their respective creations, so please for the love of God, don't sue me! Anyway, now that it's Friday, you al probably want to know how the Joes, X-Men and Misfits are handling Jake and Justin's new "status quo", so to speak…**

**Jake: Why are you doing this? Do you LIVE to torture your characters in your fan fiction?**

**Of course! Anyhoo, read and enjoy! Constructive criticism welcome!**

**Relationships Give Me Migraines**

Blind Master looked angry enough to hit the sky. Blind Master looked angry enough to explode. And Blind Master looked especially angry enough to kill…and unfortunately, the only thing within his sights were Jake Clawson and Justin.

"Yow…Blind Master's ticked off," Toad said, blinking and taken aback by the rare look of murderous rage on the African American's face as he stomped by.

"And we're filming live in three…two…one…" giggled Quinn as she took out her pink miniature camcorder and began filming the inevitable beat-down and explosion and hysteria. Justin then shifted the blame to himself and away from Jake as he tried to explain and calm down Blind Master.

"Blind Master, it's my fault too! Don't blame Jake for this! Please, I kissed him back! I'm the one who had the feelings for him, so please don't get mad at Jake!" Whitelighter tried to plead.

Jake then shot a look of concern at Justin before he shook his head and spoke out as Blind Master advanced towards him, "No, **don't** blame Justin. Blind Master, I swear I would never hurt your son, and I did not mean any intent to take advantage of him. Blame me for kissing him first and starting this whole thing, but it's not your son's fault. **I'm** the one to blame, but I didn't mean anything harmful by it! I'll do anything to fix this!"

"Remy really don't think that the _hommes_ are helping their case," Gambit murmured as he watched the two dig their proverbial graves deeper and deeper.

Blind Master finally stopped in front of Jake and Justin, inches away and on the verge of lashing out, his hands twitching and breathing heavily through his nose. His entire body was quivering with rage, and Jean was shocked to see that the ninja was seriously contemplating on physically hurting the kat in his mind. Then the situation was easily diffused into a peaceful respite when Roadblock came from behind and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder to placate him.

"Gabriel, an attempt at murder and screaming fit, we don't need. For now, let's wait until all us grown-ups gather and talk alone, agreed?" the machine-gunner versed quietly. The African American ninja still looked murderous, but he knew the wisdom behind Marvin's words and deflated, but not without a piercing glare of outrage behind his glasses at the kat in front of him. Roadblock then gently reached out and took Justin by the arm before leading him to Wavedancer.

"Althea, take Justin back to the Pit. It looks like we're going to have a long talk, so you kids better split," Marvin commanded.

"Don't blame him! I'm at fault too!" Justin tried to beseech one last time, but Low Light just glowered at Whitelighter.

"We can't make promises on something like this, Justin," Cooper said in a severe voice. Blind Master finally managed to find his voice as he whirled on his charge.

"Oh, and Justin…" Blind Master finished steely, "I **will** be telling your father about this."

Justin's face paled at this statement, and he weakly chuckled as he tried to bargain, "Uh…well, really…he doesn't need to know - "

"**Justin…**," growled the ninja master, and Justin automatically knew better than to push it. Wavedancer sighed as she half-dragged Justin over to her before she indicated to the other Misfits to teleport back to the Pit and follow Roadblock's orders.

"C'mon, Justin. Now's not the time to plead your case. Besides, we can learn on what's going to happen eventually," Althea sighed before adding with a whisper, "Besides, my sisters already have the bugs in place so we'll hone in one every word."

"Oh by the mother planet, Dad's gonna ground me for life if he doesn't kill me first…" Whitelighter quietly wailed to himself as all the Misfits teleported back to the base.

Wolverine then gruffly ordered the rest of the teenage members of the X-Men and the New Mutants, giving all of them a spine-chilling scowl of sternness.

"Okay, bubs! Move it! Red, Scott…can you get all the kids back to the Mansion and stay out of our way while the Professor and the rest of us have a little chat with the hairball over at Chuck's office…**_in private_**?"

Those last two words had the faintest tinge of a threat laced into them, but Wolverine knew, from his past experiences, that it wouldn't much good to dissuade the teenagers and adolescents from both teams to not eavesdrop. And considering this little tidbit was especially juicy, Logan had to resentfully realize that deep down, trying to keep this quiet over this issue was a lost cause.

Tabitha and Jean looked at Jake with sympathy, and Jean, as she had to drag away a particular persistent and nosy Jamie away by the ear, she spoke softly to the kat-instructor with support, "This changes nothing, Jake. We'll try to help the others see that too."

Jubilee then stopped before she patted the relatively new instructor on the shoulder lightly for encouragement before she followed the nervous crowd. She hadn't forgotten how Jake reached out to her when she arrived at the X-Mansion after the battle in San Francisco and helped her understand her grief with her parents' death by a little, even though he never knew Jubilee personally. Logan, though a bit irritated at the sign, was generally pleased that his daughter was non-judgmental and not jumping the bandwagon.

As the kids left the adults alone, Jake mentally had to wilt underneath the gazes and glares of his fellow coworkers and allies as he groaned to himself, realizing that his life was about to get a lot more unbearable and stressful, "Suddenly, trying to commit suicide by a black-hole grenade didn't seem as bad as before…"

And indeed, later that night…

"**_Just what the hell were you thinking?_**" Blind Master yelled none too gently for the fourth time as he stood with his hands clenched into fists, glaring at the despondent Jake Clawson in front of him while he was seated on the couch in Xavier's private quarters, the room warm and with adequate light. The other adults were gathered alongside the G.I. Joe ninja and each and every one of them had various ranges of emotions as they looked on and observed the growing tension. Blind Master was absolutely livid and looked as if he wanted nothing better than to beat Razor to a bloody pulp after eviscerating him. Shipwreck, and Cover Girl were sympathetic and concerned, troubled but not exhibiting the slightest indication that they were going to crucify the kat adult. Logan, Roadblock, and Spirit all had their game faces on, blank, unresponsive, and all three of the men deciding that it was in the best interests of everyone to keep quiet and act as the peacekeepers if necessary. Low Light, Hank, and Ororo were glaring at the ex-SWAT Kat with disapproval; it was clear that they fully agreed with Blind Master. But Jake could have honestly said that it was Charles Xavier's face of disappointment and worry that made him feel the guiltiest (he didn't want to make it like he was bringing the Professor's name down after everything the X-Men mentor and leader had done for him).

And for the fourth time, Jake gave the honest answer, "I lost my head. I was so overwhelmed at seeing Chance again and grateful for Justin for giving me the opportunity to say good-bye that I just lost it. After…after what Justin did for me, I couldn't help but have some feelings for him."

"Do you always show affection by _kissing_ them, Clawson?" Low Light retorted with malice and disdain, "You're damn lucky we're not hauling your ass to a maximum security prison at S.H.I.E.L.D. or Stryker's Island! This counts as statutory harassment!"

Roadblock had to frown at his friend as he said strongly, "Cooper, I doubt we'd take things that far, and what Jake has done, though reckless, isn't bizarre. Justin did for him an act of kindness he couldn't get anywhere, so it makes sense that Jake would have feelings for Whitelighter after this affair. Besides, let's just give Razor a chance to defend, and then we can see what we need to amend."

The Professor finally broke the silence as he sighed gravely, feeling less disappointed and more sympathetic for Jake as he said, "I hope you realize the severity of the implications of this, Jake."

"It's not like I planned this, Professor!" Jake protested, "It's not as if I asked myself, 'Gee, how can I make more of an ass of myself? Oh yeah! Start having feelings for one of the mutant teenagers from the Misfits'! I didn't…"

Justin paused before he said in a more controlled voice, "I would never hurt Justin, please believe that. And I didn't know that Justin had the same feelings for me and that this would be encouraging it."

Cover Girl seemed puzzled as she asked, "Wait…so, are you gay or not?"

Jake nodded as he said, "Yeah, I am. I've realized this since I was nineteen and training at the Enforcer Academy in Megakat City in my world, especially since I realized that I could never truly develop feelings for the she-kats, and yet it never seemed a problem for the males. But since being an Enforcer and then a SWAT Kat didn't give me much time for a social life or a romantic one, it was a bit difficult, but I managed to suppress most of the desires enough and keep it a secret."

Hank then decided to probe as he asked, "Jake…do you truly mean it when you say you care about Justin? That you were developing strong feelings for young Whitelighter, stronger than any of the students here at the Institute?"

Jake nodded before he said, "Yes…fur and paw, I wish I didn't because it would make things easier…but yeah, I do actually."

"Do you **love** him?" Spirit asked, his face stony. Blind Master twitched, but he thankfully kept quiet. Jake had to ponder that for several moments before he answered honestly.

"No, but I _like_ him," and Jake winced as he explained, "I…I don't want to hurt Justin and I can't say that this automatically has me falling head over heels with the kid because I know that I'd be rushing things or thinking irrationally with my hormones. I do like Justin and have affection for him, but if you want me to say that I love him with all my heart and soul…it's too early and premature to say something that foolish, so no. I don't love him. I think we'd need a lot of time and thought before we can even reach at that point."

He expected Spirit to be upset and bothered since this was not the answer many people would want to hear (especially after doing something so reckless and stupid as kissing), but to Jake's surprise, Spirit gave a wry smirk.

"You are honest, Clawson," Spirit said, "And that does sort of earn you a few points. Had you told me that you did love Justin and so soon in such a short period of time, I would have easily said you were lying or being an idiot."

Low Light then had enough as he shouted, "As much as I hate to break the touching display, sarcasm noted, you can't possibly think this is tolerable! Xavier, I may be messed up myself from my past, but it'll be nothing if you think that having a potential pedophile around Justin is all right and not hazardous!"

"I wouldn't hurt him!" the kat growled.

"Oh bullshit!" the Joe sniper retorted, "I had to endure your type of people when I was experimented on in labs back at Moreausseau, and if you think I'm going to just stand by a let a potential threat like you attack Justin or any of your charges when our backs are turned, you've got another thought coming!"

Jake looked incredibly outraged and insulted as he leapt to his feet and shouted with his fangs bared, "I'm **not** a deviant, Cooper!"

Low Light shot back, "You **kissed** a sixteen year old boy! I think that qualifies!"

"Hold on, you guys…" Shipwreck said strongly, interrupting the tirade before it could get worse, "I think we're making too much of a big deal of this. Yeah, Jake should have known better, and it is a little worrisome about the age thing, but Jake's **not** dangerous. To Justin or any other student in the Misfits or the X-Men."

"What?" demanded Blind Master, Ororo, and Low Light angrily. The G.I. Joe sailor continued, trying to reason.

"Look, we've gotten time to know Jake…all of us did, and let me ask you this: has Jake ever hurt any of them or made any advancements on the students while he's been living here? No, Clawson here isn't the type of guy to hurt the kids he cares for. And yes, it's obvious. Even _I_ can see it, so you know _that's_ saying something. And the X-Men and Misfits all have good instincts, but not one of them have come up and said that they don't feel safe around Razor. The kids love him like a brother, and we can all see that Razor would give a right arm for those kids if the situation called for it, otherwise he wouldn't protect Bobby when he tried to chase after H.A.T.E. at the Bayville Commons fairgrounds," Shipwreck pointed out.

Spirit then added, "And I remember Hank telling me when he protected Jamie from being attacked by Live Wire when she attacked the X-Mansion, and when he risked his safety to make sure Amara and Sam got medical attention with Dr. Hackle when all of you were trapped in the SWAT Kats' dimension. He could have been caught by Feral and his soldiers or by Dark Kat and the Invincible Alliance…but Jake still chose to help you all out anyway."

"Spirit! Don't tell me you're actually **supporting** this!" Low Light barked.

"And the hairball's not some low-life," Logan said at last, "Look, I may have my fights with him and I don't like this turn of events any more than you, but Jake's a respectable idiot with a good sense of what's right and wrong in that pea-brained head of his, so regardless of how much you think otherwise, I've _never_ had any reason to believe Jake was someone we couldn't trust or someone that can't be depended on. He's an annoying know-it-all with a big mouth, cocky attitude, and who needs to get a haircut and a flea-bath…but he would never hurt any of the rugrats here. He's telling the truth when he says that he would never hurt Justin and that he does have feelings for the kid. I can smell it on him…well, that and the fact that his B.O is like an entire zoo of animals gone bad."

This actually made everyone stop and stare at Wolverine. Despite knowing the feral mutant, Logan was the _last_ person they'd expect to defend Jake's side on this issue. Ororo was incredibly scandalous.

"Logan! Spirit! Shipwreck! You're all missing the point! For an adult to show outright signs of affection to a teenager is **morally** wrong! You cannot possibly defend this! Yes, Jake is a good person and I have no doubts in my mind that he will always do what is best and right for the children and the school, but we cannot allow something like this to continue!" the woman retorted with impatience.

Shipwreck then broke in, "Stormy…I ran away and lied about my age to join the Navy in order to hide the fact that I was underage. Trust me, Justin is smart enough to know when things would be just plain stupid to do, and unlike me, Justin isn't the type to copy some of the same mistakes I've done when in the Navy. He's too timid and hesitant and overly cautious. And I actually lost my virginity and started drinking when I was Justin's age among other things. The fact that Whitelighter's a good kid and the fact that Jake isn't rushing into this and that he's willing to wait is a good sign. Now granted, none of us are too pleased about this whole deal, but when had any parent ever been fully pleased when their kids do something they think is stupid?"

"Well, you must certainly be the expert on **that** one, Shipwreck," Hank drawled, earning him a glare from the sailor.

Cover Girl then sighed in frustration before she gently said, "And honestly, as much as I hate to admit that Shipwreck's right…I really don't see any reason why, if they take the time to wait a while, that Jake and Justin couldn't establish something when Justin's a little older, say…when's he's eighteen."

Blind Master looked ready to explode as he furiously highlighted, "You want a reason, Courtney? Well I've got a whole goddamned list! One, Jake's twelve years older than Justin! **Twelve years!**"

"It's borderline of a tolerable difference considering that I've known models that would date men who were old enough to be their fathers in my early days, Gabriel. Twelve years is better than compared to, let's say, Jake being thirty or forty years older," Cover Girl shot back.

"It's not _that_ much better!" Low Light yelled.

Ororo then joined in with the G.I. Joe ninja master as she sternly remarked, "And two: Jake is an instructor of the Institute. It would be a scandal when the tabloids get wind that one of the teachers at the Institute has feelings for one of the Misfit trainees! And notice that I said '_when_', not '_if_'."

"So add it to the list of other stuff the tabloids and papers are accussin' us of! Considering Justin isn't a student here, at the very least, Jake isn't violating the student-teacher principle! And if I recall correctly, 'Ro, you're the last one to complain about the appearance of the Institute when you and Shipwreck got turned into teenagers by Forge's machine and went on a wild rampage at Bayville Mall!" Logan shot back. Storm looked torn between frying her friend right then and there and dropping of pure terror and humiliation.

"**_How did you know about that?_**" Ororo shrieked.

Spirit sighed as he got in between the two quarreling instructors before it could get ugly before he clarified, "That's not important, right now."

"Oh, don't hand me that! Trinity and the other Misfits sold copies of the footage, didn't they?" the white-haired weather-witch growled, her blue eyes glinting under the light.

"I plead the fifth…" Spirit said simply.

"OK, how about this? Jake's a kat-humanoid and Justin is a human being! I think this comes on the borderline of bestiality! That _alone_ is a reason why this shouldn't even happen!" Low Light snapped, trying to keep on track with the issue.

"My, thanks a lot, Low Light," Beast drawled caustically as he glared at the sniper, "It is so adequate and fulfilling to see how you have a viewpoint against mere relationships between different species."

"Low Light, I wasn't thinking of doing anything! I have standards, and I'm not about to have sex with a sixteen year old! I told you before I would never hurt Justin or take advantage of him!" Jake yelled heatedly.

"Trust me, I'd kill you before you even got the chance!" Blind Master growled before he practically bellowed at Xavier, "Professor, you're the telepath! Do something about this! Can't you use your telepathy and erase whatever sick feelings Clawson has for Justin? Can't you wipe out his mind?"

The Professor actually looked insulted as he said, frowning, "You know I don't do that, Gabriel. It is against my code."

"Not a problem! We can try something different! All you have to do is tweak Clawson's brain so that he's straight or has a lack of a libido!" Low Light snarled.

Hank looked incredibly outraged and insulted as he growled, "Do you have any comprehension of how much of an intolerable fascist and homophobic hypocrite you are making yourself to be, virgin-boy?"

The Joe was now red in the face, as red as his goggles, as he exploded with his fists raised, "Homophobia has nothing to do with it! I want to keep Justin safe, and as for that virgin-crack, why don't I trying cracking your skull in return, Bluebell?"

"Just you try it, you imbecile!" Beast growled treacherously, showing his canines.

Then before it could come to physical blows, Xavier broke in gracefully, "If I _did_ look in Jake's mind to see if there was anything potentially dangerous or harmful, would that quell your fears? If I fail to see anything that could be a potential harm to Jake or Justin, would that satisfy you for the time being?"

The Joes and X-Men adults looked at each other before Roadblock nodded and said, "It would lessen our doubts over the issues, so if Jake's willing to comply, then do it. But again, only if Jake is willing; we don't wanna force him on anything."

Jake nodded as he said with automatic insistence, "Do it, Professor. I have nothing to hide…and if this proves to everyone that I would never want to hurt the kitten and that…I do have some feelings for him, then you're free to search my entire mind."

The Professor nodded as he murmured, "Just try not to struggle for my presence may be a bit uncomfortable, Jake. Just relax and allow me free reign; I promise anything that does not associate with Justin or any student, I will not reveal your secrets. I respect your privacy."

And with that, the Professor dived deep into the astral plane and in the inner mind and psyche and soul of the ex-SWAT Kat, his spirit gliding softly through regions of the unconsciousness and id of the kat humanoid. Jake's eyes were closed, and though he scuffled slightly and whimpered from the pressure closing in on his brain, he didn't cry out and the experience wasn't painful but rather a noticeable buzz. The Professor then could view all the crevices of his mind, but there was absolutely nothing dark or depraved in them (and the Professor had to chuckle when he discovered that Jake actually had some animal magnetism for Scott, Hank…and Logan of all people). And then Charles Xavier then saw Jake's sorrows and pain, from losing Chance and leaving his old life, only to have it be lifted by authentic and genuine feelings of compassion and affection for the Misfit. Certainly, it was nascent and cautious and apparent that Jake did not have any side thoughts or agendas to misuse such feelings or have it be inappropriate, but it had potential for affirming growth and sincerity.

There was absolutely nothing malicious or dangerous about it. Jake truly did like Justin. And feeling he had thoroughly searched and looked into Razor's mind enough, the Professor gently left and returned back into his own consciousness, ending the telepathic search.

"I looked into Jake's mind, and I can safely assure you that he is not going to take advantage of the situation or be a danger to any student here in the Institute. In fact, I daresay we have a better chance of Logan losing his temper and accidentally impaling one of the students with his claws."

Gabriel, unsurprisingly, was not satisfied with this answer.

"You're not always right, Professor Xavier. Either you deal with this now, or I will," Blind Master coldly shot back. The Professor then became absolutely defensive and protective of Jake as he faced the ninja master and glared with restrained yet simmering molten steel. The ninja master could actually sense the Professor's powerful _ki_ aura building and expanding two-fold; the telepath was _that_ annoyed and angry.

"And need I remind you, Gabriel, that you have no say in my decisions in who leaves and who stays at the Institute. And unless under extreme circumstances, I will never throw out those who need sanctuary," Xavier said.

"And need I remind you that one of your instructors kissed my son," growled back the G.I. Joe soldier with even fury.

"To correct you, Gabriel: you are not Justin's adoptive father, but his co-guardian while Whitelighter is to stay at the Pit and with the Misfits. I still have yet to hear something from his official father, and I doubt you would be so presumptuous to speak on the father's behalf."

Blind Master looked as if he was slapped in the face. And what infuriated him was that the Professor had a point.

"Have you talked with Justin's father about this?"

Blind Master's mouth critically grew into a thin line as he admitted with sullen rancor, "No."

"Then perhaps you should," the Professor said simply. Blind Master heavily sucked in air through his nose as he entire body swelled up with rage.

Ororo then said, "Charles, even if Jake has no feelings to take advantage of Justin, and I do not doubt that he is a good soul, nevertheless, he cannot be allowed to continue showing this sort of behavior! This sort of conduct is not appropriate! Disgraceful, even!"

"Oh really?" the Professor said in a hard demand as he glared at Ororo, Blind Master, and Low Light, "So Jake's actions are far worse than say playing a childish and lewd act of 'Spin the Bottle' in the Danger Room while the kids upstairs had an out-of-control ruckus during Rogue's birthday party that resulted in causing a huge mess and Jean getting drunk? Or how about getting drunk yourselves and being arrested while camping with the students and the Misfits in one of the national parks?"

Blind Master, Ororo, and Low Light all turned a collective beet red from embarrassment and resentment. Beast then spoke out.

"Charles, those sorts of behavior are completely different from this! Yes, they are destructive and undignified, but it is hardly anything perverted or something that could cause a bad influence to one of the students!"

"Oh yes, Hank, you're exactly the best model of restraint considering how you mooned Senator Kelly in front of a national audience when we tried to discuss mutant civil-rights at Washington DC! Or the number of times telephone calls have been made from the Mansion to party lines fifty times a day!" Charles pointed out harshly with a slight touch of sardonic scorn. Now Beast was purple faced on the account that his red face was mixing with his blue fur.

Roadblock then sighed before he spoke to Xavier and Jake, "Despite our hesitation, let's wait until what Justin's family has to say about this before we do anything. But, Xavier, despite whatever disagreements we've had before, we do trust your judgment, and Jake…we can see that you are a good one and that you wouldn't hurt Whitelighter in a million years, just like how you'd never hurt any of the kids. It's just…we need to be cautious about this."

Spirit then added for support, "We're not condemning you, Jake. We just want to make sure this won't be any future problem later on; just give us time to thoroughly discuss this and think it over."

Jake nodded. Cover Girl immediately felt sorry for the kat as she said with optimism, "Don't worry. Not all of us are angry. Concerned, yes…but we're definitely going to be fair in this issue."

Blind Master seemed like he wanted to argue, but as a passive-aggressive move, he stomped off, intending to teleport back to the Pit, but not before shooting a look at Razor and growling, "This isn't over, Clawson."

The ninja master opened the door furiously, not caring at the small crowd of students who were gathered around it, and Tabitha and Amara and Kitty toppled into the room from the fact that they were leaning their ears against the wooden door, trying to catch the conversation, but thankfully, Blind Master ignored them as he left. Ororo and Hank had to look at the sheepish teenagers in a scolding manner.

"What part of the words, 'in private', did you children _not_ understand?" Ororo sighed in aggravation.

"Uh…well, to be fair, Storm, Jean and Scott are eavesdropping too with the rest of the X-Men from outside along with Polly and Lockheed. Polly's listening in for the Misfits with the electronic recording equipment that Trinity equipped him with," Piotr chuckled.

"You squealer!" yelled Bobby in gall from the windowsill on the outside, which was followed by a loud slapping-noise as if someone smacked the ice-generating X-Man in the back of his head.

"Yell a little louder, why don't ya', Bobby?" Rogue griped, "I'm sure some of the adults didn't hear ya'!"

Professor Xavier then telepathically ordered in a gentle tone, _Students, X-Men, and Joes…can you give me a few minutes alone with Jake? I wish to put his fears to rest, and this is an incredibly personal matter. Please, I ask you all nicely to cease your curiosity and leave us; this is a delicate topic. You can ask Jake and the Joes questions in the morning._

The other complied, though Low Light and Ororo didn't seem exactly satisfied, but thankfully, this time, everyone listened to Xavier as they left, and Logan and the other Misfit handlers made sure that all the kids respected the boundary this time along with making sure Polly the parrot teleported back to the Pit and ended his bugging.

Jake was then left alone with the Professor, and his mouth was incredibly dry as he forced his voice to function at last.

"Professor?" Jake said in a small voice, still slightly fearful of the rejection, but the Professor turned his wheelchair to look at the ex-SWAT Kat with compassion before he put Jake's fears to rest.

"Jake, while I am not entirely pleased with this turn of events…" Xavier said in his characteristic calm tone, "I will say that I do not doubt that you greatly care for Justin and that I additionally do not regret accepting you as an instructor for the X-Men and the students, so please, do not think I would cast you out. If anything, it makes me slightly proud to see you were willing to prove yourself to Low Light and Blind Master. And let me remind you that you are _not_ the only instructor to anger and disappoint me every once in a while, especially considering the people living here."

Jake, despite himself, had to smile.

The Professor then continued sincerely, "Jake, after how you saved us all back in Megakat City, I would be no better than Magneto and those in the Hellfire Club if I turned my back on you because of this. Yes, I am worried, but I have dealt with things much worse, and I still didn't turn away people such as Logan, who actually have a much more colorful history than you. As long as you wish for it, the Institute will always be welcome to you…and I do not want to lose one of the most influential teachers this school ever had to offer."

Jake's eyes brimmed.

The Professor smiled at last before he finished, "This doesn't change the way I think about you, and that should be enough to settle any real dispute in this. And I think it safe to assume that most if not all the students shall be behind you one-hundred percent. Regardless of whether or not you wish to continue to show affection to Justin, _albeit in a appropriate manner_, or should you choose to break it off."

"Thank you for trusting me, Professor. I…I won't make you regret it," Jake said, and he had never felt so relieved. Xavier then sighed as he looked at Razor.

"But…what are you going to do now? The deed has already been done, and Justin still has some feelings for you in return."

"I don't know," Jake sighed wearily.

---

"And good morning to you, Mr. Sunshine!" grinned Fred as Justin wearily stumbled in the kitchen, his eyes baggy and red from the lack of sleep as he heavily sat on a stool next to the kitchen counter and mumbled a reply as he sunk heavily to the tiled outcrop.

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?" Lance said with some sympathy as he ruffled Justin's hair in a brotherly manner, "I know it's kinda rough since I remembered hearing you and Blind Master coming back to Misfit Manor around two in the morning. You're lucky that there's no training for today and that the rest of us were given the day off from exercises and classes since the adults need to talk about your little lip-locking with Razor, or else you'd be forced for the hundred push-up drills and mile runs and sparring at the dojo…and getting your butt handed back by Pietro and Lina."

Justin moaned as he whined, "Trust me, after what happened last night, I would prefer enduring the torture and exercises I loathe…just to get my mind off things. I'm just glad no one else knows about me and Jake; I don't think I'd ever be able to live it down."

Quinn then nervously coughed as she clarified, "Well…actually…since we needed to see who won the pool, we…heh heh…kind of sent out a few e-mails when it became official that you and Jake liked each other and went to first base."

"You e-mailed **_everyone_** about this?" Justin yelped, his head shooting back up and his eye twitching.

"Not everyone, silly! Just the people who were in on that particular pool such as the Scoobies, the Slayers, the Charmed Ones, the Justice League, the Teen Titans, the Titans East, the West Coast Misfits, not to mention the rest of the Joes at the Pit…" Brittany carried on blithely, and Justin just wearily and despondently placed his forehead on the kitchen counter, now thoroughly humiliated.

"I'm surprised you three didn't sell the scoop to the National Enquirer," Wanda commented as she munched on her corn flakes.

"Blind Master, Althea and Daddy threatened to destroy our lab and sell off all our equipment if we did," Daria remarked sulkily, "But it wasn't any big loss. The highest bid we got on the scoop was only a lousy ten-thousand, which would have been spare change compared to how much money was put in the pool!"

"Who won, by the way?"

"Kyle Thunderbolt from the West Coast Misfits and Supergirl," grumbled Brittany, "Lucky goobers spilt the grand prize."

"Oh well, there's always the pool on when Storm and Daddy are going to hook up and the pool on when Scott and Jean are going to get married. The amount of money in both of those pools alone would be enough to pay full tuition and room and board over at Harvard for the next fifty years!" Daria waved off.

Pietro was looking at Justin with something skin to insulted outrage as he said, "Still, chubby-cheeks, what's so special about Jake? I mean, really, your first kiss and you have to waste it on a furry kat who probably has a hairball problem and bad hair?"

"Huh?" Justin asked.

"Seriously, what is it about me? Is it the white hair thing? Or the fact that I'm skinny? Or the fact that I'm good at fashion but not really good a fixing cars like a grease monkey? Or the fact that I'm a ladies man?"

Xi then has to inquire for clarification, "Uh…Pietro, what are you talking about?"

"I'm just outraged that the one gay member on the Misfit team, he goes and finds Jake attractive over me! Me, Pietro Maximoff, the King of all Studly Players! The Adonis of all Heartthrobs! The one Misfit that has several fan clubs and shrines dedicated to yours truly while getting hundreds of fan letter every month! **I'm** supposed to be the hottest guy around! Why didn't chubby-cheeks find **me** attractive? Why didn't he try to hit on me? Why did he choose Jake Clawson over me, his teammate and resident pretty-boy of the Misfits? There's only one mutant who supposed to appeal the animal magnetism and attraction of all people, whether they be gay or straight, and that's _moi_! So why didn't Justin think I was cute enough to kiss?" Pietro declared with ignorant and foolish pride.

There was a very uncomfortable silence when everyone, including Justin, just stared at Pietro with disturbed faces of discomfort and deadpanned disbelief. Finally, Quinn broke the silence.

"Do you even _listen_ to yourself talk?" the Triplet sister asked.

Wanda snorted as she pointed out, "Brittany, this is my brother you're talking about. As I have said repeatedly, he likes to listen to the sound of his own voice, but rarely anything registers."

"Exactl – hey!" Pietro protested.

Althea easily sidetracked the side-discussion as she laid a glass of cold milk in front of Justin as she said, "So, let me recap: Blind Master took you immediately to the Lavadome to talk with the Dinosaucers about this development after he finished ranting and raving with Professor X and Razor. So, what exactly happened? Since Dimetro and Teryx placed shields all around the Lavadome, we could send Polly to bug the place like we did with the X-Mansion."

"Well, first Allo and Blind Master greeted each other with their usual routine…" Justin sighed, wincing at the memory as he flashed back to last night in the Lavadome:

_"What in the name of the mother planet were you thinking when you dragged my son to San Francisco?" Allo demanded, his eyes and nostrils flaring as he stood in the doorway of the Lavadome, not even bothering with a simple greeting, as Blind Master and Justin teleported into the Dinosaucers' base in the desert._

_"Nice to see you too, Allo," Blind Master returned back with hostility. Justin seemed incredible fearful and nervous underneath his Dinosaucer father's stern glare._

_"Uh…heh-heh, you know about that?" Justin gulped._

_"It was kind of hard **not** to, considering that each and every television station was displaying the footage of you guys fighting the Heartless, the warlocks, and the Turok-Han vampires in the city," Montacera said sheepishly as she and the other Dinosaucers joined out in front, mainly to be ready to prevent Allo from losing it fully. Tricero shot his niece a look to keep quiet as Struthio and Compy quietly led Whitelighter out of the way while Allo started on his tirade._

_"I told you that I did NOT want my son out being in danger from your foolish escapades! Are you **completely** stupid or are you simply loving being a reckless guardian as well as dog of the military?" the extraterrestrial roared._

_"Justin was training to handle these sort of situations, and he needed to be there to offer a support with his healing should any of his teammates get hurt! Exactly what he was trained to do! That was the entire reason you let him go join the Misfits in the first place! To make a difference with his powers while maintaining better control of them!" Blind Master shouted back._

_"That is absolutely no excuse to risk his life during a demon attack! Training and going out into battle are two different things! And I **told **you that I didn't want the latter option!"_

_"He was safe! I would never let anything happen to Justin! I would have protected him! And so would the other Joes and Misfits!"_

_"Only when you're not going off and being drunk or partying or causing the chaos that only comes with being an irresponsible lunatic from G.I. Joe!"_

_"**Better than being an overprotective and nagging idiot who could try taking his head out of his ass!**"_

_"They'll be at this for a while…" Teryx sighed._

_"Yeah, and we've already got front-row tickets! This is way better than any movie we've ever bought from Amazon!" Struthio chuckled as he. Compy, Bonehead, Bronto-Thunder, and Stego started munching on popcorn._

"Oh my," Lina murmured as she munched on some toast, "If things were that bad when they just greeted each other, it probably wasn't any better when Blind Master had to explain that you're gay."

Justin leaned on the counter on his elbows with his head propped up with one hand as he retold with fatigue, "Trust me, it wasn't pleasant for me either…"

_"So…you're gay?" Bronto-Thunder asked, his eyebrow raised on one-side as he and the other Dinosaucers took the news. There was just a dead silence, and Justin never felt so uncomfortable when all of his family were looking at him with blank expressions._

_Justin swallowed as he shakily replied, "Yes…I…I hope you're not disappointed. Please, I…I never wanted to hurt you, but I can't…I can't hide this, not now especially. So yeah, I…I am."_

_There was a brief silence before, then, to Justin and Blind Master's absolute and astonished shock, surprise, and slight outrage, Itchy yelled out joyously, "TIME!"_

_Struthio then noted, looking at his watch, "Let the record show that it is now October sixteenth, at exactly twelve-fifty-seven in the morning! Get the pool! Who won? Who won?"_

_Compy grinned as he took out an electronic, computerized- notepad that was stored in a secret compartment of his wrist guard in his uniform before he got out the tabulated data and entered in the date and time before clicking on a few commands._

_"And the official, closest estimations for the pool are…oh by the Dinosorcerer and Dinosorceress, I don't believe it! We have a **three-way** tie between Teryx, Plato, and Sarah! All three of them get one-third of the pool winnings!"_

_"Of all the lucky guesses…" grumbled Raptor, bitter and cheated, as Teryx and Plateo just grinned smugly._

_"We'll be sure to e-mail Sarah and the other Secret Scouts and let them know that the bet was settled," the erudite Dinosaucer librarian announced, and that, if anything, nearly sent Justin reeling. He was floored._

_"You…you knew?" Whitelighter could only rasp out in a strangled voice._

_Montacera then said, "Well, not all of us, but some of the more perceptible ones such as Teryx and Sarah and Plato kind of had the guess, and though we all kind of discussed it, only some of us were willing to believe it. I mean, you didn't seem that interested in Sarah whenever she came to visit over at the Pit, and that one incident with David's Playboy magazine didn't seem to spark anything for you, and from the way you're so soft-spoken and meek about things and your personality yet with a tendency to overreact to crises…well, I guess to some of us, it really wasn't much of a surprise."_

_"But since there was so much of a debate over it, that's when we decided to hold a little pool to raise some interest in this development, and so far, this pool's been at least three years old since it was first established. Aw, don't look at us like that, Justin…this wasn't meant to make fun of you or hurt you in any way. And if anything, it could make things easier for your nervousness when you see that we kinda had a feeling deep down," Bonehead said._

_"**And you were in on this?**" Justin yelped, his head swimming with horror, as he turned to Allo who was looking incredibly embarrassed and uncomfortable as he coughed hesitantly._

_"Well…" Allo confessed before he sighed, "To tell you the truth, son, though I was presented the evidence, I didn't want to believe it. Or, at least hold out on some hope that you weren't gay, but yes…I knew there was a possibility."_

_"**You knew?**" Justin exclaimed in surprise, his hands to his temples._

_Allo awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he said, "Well…even though the evidence was indicating it, I really…didn't want to see it, or at least, hold out some hope that you were bisexual."_

_"WHAT?" Justin cried out._

_Allo then looked extremely uncomfortable and sheepish as he explained, "Well, if you were bi, then at least maybe I could hope for some grandchildren…"_

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" all the other Misfits burst out laughing in the kitchen. Pietro was actually the worst as he fell out of his chair and rolled on the floor, holding his sides and guffawing so hard, his face turned red and he choked in the end.

"It's not **that** funny!" Justin protested, humiliated.

"Are you kidding, yo?" hooted Toad, "Allo easily winds the prize for the most embarrassing thing a parent could ever say to their kid! Hee hee hee!"

"See if I ever share anything with you guys again," muttered Justin, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"So all in all, how do Allo and the other Dinosaucers feel about your…well, you know…" Xi tried delicately as he managed to regain control of himself from his fit of hysterical mirth.

Fred gave Xi an irritated look as he said, "Honestly, Xi, it's nothing ta' be ashamed of it. Justin is going through what psychologists call asserting his sexual orientation, and him being homosexual is no different from being bisexual or heterosexual. Heck, that dude Kinsey theorized that no one is completely one-hundred percent straight or gay and that there are varying degrees of gray in between both extremes. It's better for Whitelighter to explore like this than to repress his feelings."

The lizard Misfit shrugged as he explained, "I do not have a full understanding of the human attraction and social views of homosexuality. The sex education classes we took at the Institute with the X-Men were woefully inadequate, and I simply wish to learn more about why such a mundane subject is so taboo."

"Fortunately, Allo took it averagely well…" Whitelighter said wearily as he recounted:

_Allo's eyes were soft and nonjudgmental, and to Justin's relief, were completely accepting as he knelt down and laid a clawed hand on his son's shoulder, making eye contact and getting his point across._

_"Justin, whether you're gay or straight, it doesn't change the fact that you're a part of this family and a part of the Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts. We would never turn you away or look down on you because of this, and we'd be the last beings to look down on someone because they're different. You're still the same Justin we've grown to love and cherish, so don't ever be scared to confide in us. As long as you're happy and safe, just know we'd support you."_

_The other Dinosaucers nodded warmly in full agreement._

_"Oh, Dad," sniffed Justin as Allo warmly embraced him, but Allo, after a moment's thought, then added with some sly mischief._

_"However, I'm still banking that you'd be able to provide me some grandkids in the future, Justin," the allosaurus cheekily suggested._

"Averagely well?" Fred echoed incredulously, blinking, "Sounds like Allo took it great!"

"Not really because then Allo found out that I already had my first kiss with one of the X-Men who also happens to additionally be at least ten years older than me," Justin groaned, resting his forehead on the counter-surface, having a small urge to bang his head against it repeatedly.

Lance winced before he asked, already picturing Allo's reaction, "And how did that go?"

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

_Justin could help but inwardly wince and grimace as his father, one of the most powerful, virtuous and influential members of the Dinosaucers and trained soldier, tactician, and descendant from a line of powerful magic-users from the planet Reptilion…was beating his head against the nearest metal wall repeatedly and causing a dent in aggravation._

_"Dad, please don't act like this! Really, it's not that bad! Razor's really nice! He even saved me life once or twice! And he's a teacher at the X-Men's Institute, and he's really smart and I'm sure you'd like him once you get to meet him!" Justin tried to say, but Allo didn't stop continuing on his self-inflicted injuries._

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

_"Dad, we only kissed! And Jake isn't the type to take advantage of me! Yeah, Jake kissed me like Blind Master said, but it's because he was really grateful because I helped him say good-bye to Chance! And it's not his fault! Please don't be mad at him! I kissed him back!"_

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

_"Dad, Jake's a good person, a good kat! He would never take advantage of me or hurt me! And it's not like I kissed him on a whim! I kind of returned it because I was so happy since I sort of thought he was kind of cute after meeting him at the Bayville fair when H.A.T.E. attacked!"_

_"Justin, I daresay you are not helping your case," Plateo murmured, rubbing his eyes tiredly with one hand as he glimpsed the expression of horror and anger flashing on his leader's face before Allo continued._

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

_"I suppose it's including the fact that you just told us that this Jake Clawson's fifteen years older than Justin, huh?" Stego asked idly as he and Bonehead looked at Blind Master with deadpanned amusement while their other teammates were watching the scene with commiseration._

_Justin whirled around, protesting, "Stego, Jake's not fifteen years older than me, he's only **twelve** years older than me! And…oops."_

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

_If anything, upon that assertion, Allo started banging his head against the wall harder. And Justin was starting to wonder if Toad and Quicksilver's proverbial running of the mouth was starting to rub off on him…_

"Well, at least he wasn't really angry with you," Wanda pointed out, but Justin groaned and shook his head (an awkward attempt considering his was still leaning his head on the counter).

"Actually, it got worse from that point on…" the teenager muttered as he recounted for his teammates:

_"THIS IS ALL **YOUR** FAULT, MOORE!" bellowed Allo, causing the walls of the Lavadome to shake as the Dinosaucers idly watched from the sidelines as Blind Master and Allo began fighting and quarreling violently enough._

_"**MY** fault? How is this my fault?" protested Gabriel as he dodged Allo's attempts to punch him._

_"This would have never occurred if I was solely in charge of Justin's upbringing! You **let** this happen! I should have never trusted my son in the hands of a blind drunk!" Allo roared as he attempted to tackle the ninja master to the ground, but the Joe adroitly back-flipped out of the way before angrily delivering a powerful kick at Allo's head._

_"Missed me, you Barney-reject!" Gabriel growled, but Allo's tail then managed to catch him unaware, wrapping itself around Gabriel's waist and allowing him to be distracted for just a minute before the Dinosaucer grabbed the man and pinned him to the floor._

_"Aren't you going to stop this?" Justin half-shrieked at the other Dinosaucers, "They're going to kill each other!"_

_"I hope so, cause I've got fifty dollars riding on that possibility for the second pool!" Stego hooted._

_"Nah, Allo'll kick Blind Master's butt!" Itchy yelled as he cheered for encouragement, "C'mon, Allo! Use your teeth! Use your teeth! I've got a hundred dollars riding on this bet!"_

_"I think we need to have a **long** talk about your sense of humor and gambling habits…Itchy, dear," Teryx growled with warning, trying her best to smile with her teeth grit to hide the irritation she had for her fiancée as she painfully yanked on the Dinosaucer's ear._

_Compy scoffed as he said, "Pchah! Blind Master definitely has the skills to win this match! No one can get the best of a ninja master! C'mon, Moore! Use some – aw, crap! They're gone!"_

_"What?" gasped Justin as he whirled around to see that the diminutive dinosaur-alien spoke the truth. Allo and Gabriel vanished in thin air. Dimetro aimed his handheld scanner he designed from the blueprints Trinity gave him with worry before he relaxed when he got the readings._

_"Not to worry, I recognize this energy signature!" the Dinosaucer scientist exhaled with relief, "It's the distinct and unique levels caused from the Mass Device! Allo must have accidentally activated Blind Master's teleporter watch when he was brawling with him. Hopefully, they teleported somewhere safe…"_

"So **that's** how General Hawk's office got wrecked again. I was wondering about that one, yo," Todd murmured, remembering how much of a red-faced, ranting and screaming conniption the G.I. Joe leader went into when he saw the remains of his private office chambers.

"Which reminds me…I have to do KP duty for the next three weeks with both Allo and Blind Master, starting tonight…" Justin moaned, wishing he could enjoy his free time at the Pit rather than use to peeling potatoes, washing dishes, and cleaning the restrooms and bathrooms.

"Wait, why are you doing KP duty? General Hawk normally doesn't punish us whenever the adults do something stupid," Wanda pointed out.

"Because with me there, it's a guarantee that Blind Master and Dad won't kill each other, although General Hawk was really tempted to just leave the both of them alone with bazookas and knives and be done with it," Justin wearily explained.

"Ooh, let's add that option to the pool on how long Blind Master and Allo are going to fare after they deal with Razor!" Quinn piped up.

"Already on it, sis," Daria cackled as she entered in the new data to her handheld scanner computer.

"Is betting on the misfortunes of others a daily habit for a Misfit or just you three?" Justin asked, scowling.

"You've been here how long, and you're asking us this now?" Pietro scoffed as he took out a notepad and a pencil as he recounted the tally and total, "And right now, the pool says that the most popular bet is that Allo and Blind Master will eventually kill each other after they kill good 'ol Razor in a rare moment of agreement! And the pool so far has about five hundred pitched in already!"

---

Meanwhile, over at the X-Mansion, the students were having a bit of an eager discussion about the revelation of Jake over breakfast while Rogue, Jean, and several of the other students were making enough French Toast to feed a Third World Army. The rest of the teenagers were hungrily devouring the morsels of food while the adults along with Professor Xavier were having another private chat with the Misfits handlers over the reactions from Justin's family over the matter.

Understandably, Jake did not want to be a part of the meeting (primarily because Blind Master was acting downright hostile).

"Dude…does that mean then that Razor and Chance…well, you know?" Ray asked Remy and Roberto with wide and disturbed eyes.

Sunpot shook his head as he clarified, "Nah, lamebrain, don't you remember what Jake just said to Justin several minutes ago? He didn't feel that way towards Chance, and he implied that he never even told him!"

"Don't call _me_ 'lamebrain', lamebrain!" Ray shot back.

"Like, I just hope Jake doesn't get into too much trouble with this," Kitty remarked as she ate alongside Piotr, Rina and Kurt (Scott and Jean none-to-gently banned her from the stove under the threat of revoking her driving practices with Jake for a month), "I mean, what if the Joes try to arrest Jake or get him kicked out? Then he has like no place to go, and we can't send him back to Megakat City because everyone still totally knows his identity as a SWAT Kat back in his home dimension!"

Lockheed, who was sitting next to his owner, gurgled miserably at the thought while stealing a piece of pastry from her plate.

Piotr said with some thought, "I don't think it'll get to that much of an extreme, and I know this is a big shock. A **_really_** big shock. But we've dealt with worse, and I'm sure the adults will talk it out. And besides, it's also Justin's fault too since he kissed Jake back, so it's unfair to blame Jake for the whole thing. And Justin at least is trying to tell the grown-ups that, so it's something in Jake's favor…I hope."

Kurt just idly swirled a bite with his fork in a puddle of syrup before he sighed, "Actually, Kitty…I'm not exactly thrilled about this whole Jake and Justin thing myself. Yes, Jake is truly one of the best friends and X-Man we could have ever gained from our disaster at Megakat City, but _Mein Gott_! This is a little too much to swallow…and frankly, I don't think Jake and Justin should even be together in the first place."

"Kurt!" exclaimed Piotr and Kitty in surprise

Rina looked at Kurt with some confusion but mostly irritation as she asked, "What is it exactly about two males showing affection that is so disgusting or needing to be something to fear? In the wild, animals would show such signs of closeness despite different or equal genders, and such appearances do not matter as long as they enjoy and establish a bond. I see no reason why such actions of devotion between Jake and Justin are inappropriate."

Kurt sighed as he explained to X23, "Rina, it's morally wrong. Not only does society condemn it if an older man, er, kat kisses someone who is not legally an adult and who's sixteen, but two men showing affection like that is…well, it's not natural. My Catholic teachings say that any sort of homosexual affection is wrong."

"This coming from the mutant who's half-demon?" Piotr snorted, and Kurt shot Colossus a dirty look.

"**_Quarter-demon_**, Peter," Kurt managed to say in an even voice, "And it's different considering that I'm not actively going out and conquering cities and slaughtering innocents through warfare and violence."

"I'm not exactly sure on that one," Piotr muttered, clearly disagreeing.

"Well, the fact that Jake kissed a Misfit, of all people, I'm not too thrilled with," Jean confessed in a dry voice as she stepped in, overhearing this discussion, while dumping more slices of French Toast into a serving plate, "but it's also dicey considering that he's sixteen and Jake's twenty-eight, so not only is it a big age difference that's worrisome, but Justin's also underage. But…I know Jake isn't like that, and even though I didn't look into his mind, I could sense his feelings and they're genuine. He really does feel differently about Whitelighter. He cares about all of us, Misfit and X-Man alike, no question, but to Justin, I could distinctly see that his feelings were…well, different and more heartfelt."

Scott gave the red-haired telekinetic a disapproving look as he said, "Still, emotions aren't a good reason to allow this, Jean. For once, I'm actually understanding why Blind Master and Strom freaked out they way they did."

Amara then turned to Jubilee who was remaining silent while she ate with her and Tabitha.

"Jubilee, what do you think?" Magma asked, "You know Jake the least out of all of us, so you'd be a good indicator of whether or not this whole Jake and Justin thing bugs you or makes you feel uncomfortable being back here as an X-Man."

The Chinese girl has the think about that before she shook her head, explaining, "No, I can see why you'd think that way, but I really don't have any misgivings about Razor. I may have caught an episode or two of the SWAT Kats cartoon, but I don't know enough of Razor's past to establish an opinion about him. But what I do know is that he really cares about us and he's a great big-brother figure and someone to talk to if you feel down. I didn't even know him that well, and yet when I got to the Mansion, the first thing he did was reach out and talk to me about my grief over my parents' death and how he just automatically shared with me about how he lost Chance and tried to commit suicide. That says a lot, when someone you hardly know tries to cheer you up. And Justin…well, without Justin, I would have never gotten a chance to talk with my Mom and Dad one last time."

"Yeah, that was pretty cool of him…" Amara recalled with some tenderness.

Then all the tête-à-tête and dialogue ceased immediately when Jake entered in the kitchen, dressed in sweat pants and a T-shirt. Jake, though he couldn't blame the kids for stopping immediately when he came into the room, felt a bit snubbed and unwelcome.

"Good morning," Jake said with some ease, his voice amiable.

"Morning," the students all returned, and Jean gently set a plate for the kat at the last available seat while Rogue got the kat some coffee.

"Oh will you guys get over it?" Rogue snapped at a portion of the X-Boys when they slightly flinched when Jake walked by, "It's not like Jake is going to automatically kiss you the minute he sees you, ya' know? You know him better than that! Honestly, the fact that you're all such immature idiots sometimes…!"

"Yeah, honestly, you guys are such jerks! I mean, us girls have nothing against Jake for kissing Justin!" Tabitha said, her hands on her hips.

Sam winced before he then turned to Jake and said, "Jake…really, we're…we're sorry. Tabby and the other girls are right; we should let this change us, especially since you've been nothing but a great friend and a fun teacher who always looked out for us ever since you came here. We…we just need some time to get used to this, but we are sorry. We shouldn't view you any differently."

"Apology accepted, Sam. And really, I prefer you kittens to be honest with me rather than lie and suppress it if this bothers you," Jake said, showing no bitterness.

Jamie then strode up before he gave Jake a trusting and supportive look as he said, "Jake…I don't think of you any different. Even if you are gay. You'll always be Razor to me."

Jake smiled as he stooped down and gave Jamie a hug, saying, "Thanks, kitten…that means a lot."

Jamie grinned as he then said, "Besides, you should see how much of the weird stuff you can find on the Internet that's a lot worse than this!"

Jake rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he groaned, "I _guess_ I can take that as a compliment."

"We definitely need to increase the settings on the web-blockers on the computers here," Scott groaned, rubbing his eyes and wondering how Mr. and Mrs. Maddrox were going to handle the fact that Jamie was certainly starting to turn into a little pervert.

"So…you really like Justin, don't you?" Kitty tentatively asked, immediately being a bit too nosy for her own good, but Jake decided to not hold it against the valley girl for simply being inquisitive as he nodded.

"Still…why Justin?" Roberto asked, and the others gave Sunspot a unified glare, but the Brazilian mutant raised his hands protectively in a defensive manner as he hurriedly rephrased his question.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that! I'm just…well, curious as to why Jake would develop feelings for Justin? I mean, OK, if it was Remy or Scott or maybe Mr. McCoy, no question, and if it was one of the more attractive Misfits like Lance or Pietro, then maybe yeah."

Jake had to ponder as he fondled the mug of coffee in his paws before answering, "I guess…his personality and the way he's always so open and caring to everyone, even though he is a bit naïve and a little bit of a pushover. But…kittens, don't you understand? Justin gave me one last opportunity to speak with Chance again, after so many months of me moping and feeling guilty and grieving over his death. Being able to hear him say he wants me to move on, that he doesn't blame me, and that Chance wants me to move on without him…it's really uplifting. I didn't do anything to deserve Justin to be that generous to me, and yeah, we've fought alongside each other during the past battles, but I've always been more protective of him before because he and Dragonfly healed me and Bobby when we got attacked by H.A.T.E. But now…well, I guess I really do have feelings for Justin now, I guess, after realizing how he just gave me some emotional relief ever since I left Megakat City."

"Yeah, but…well, Justin's not the most attractive person around, you know?" Ray tried to point out, only to gain a smack across the head by Jean.

"Honestly, you're not exactly Mr. Sensitive, are you, Ray?" Jean scolded.

Jake just gave Ray an amused look as he clarified, "It's OK, and besides, looks aren't everything."

Remy then smiled lewdly as he asked, "So, Jake is a chubby-chaser, _no_?"

"Remy!" Sam, Tabitha, and Amara protested, and Rogue gripped the handle of the frying pan she was using to make French toast and waved the hot instrument threateningly.

"Just say one more word, swamp rat, **just one**!" the Southern mutant rumbled.

"_Mon dieu!_ It was just a joke!" Remy confessed, "It's not as if Remy said anything about Justin bein' a furry!" Remy snickered at his joke.

Everyone else rolled their eyes or glared at the Cajun X-Man, and infuriated, Rogue yanked Remy by the ear as she spotted the look of slightly deadpanned hurt on Razor's face.

"Excuse us for a moment, sugah…" Rogue growled as she led her squirming boyfriend away, and several seconds later, the X-Men could hear the distinct sounds of a beat-down as Remy was hollering in pain. Logan then entered the kitchen after passing by the spectacle idly.

"Any coffee left?" the grizzled X-Man asked without even showing any indication that he was bothered in the skirmish between the Southern girl and the Cajun teen.

"So what is the verdict on this issue, Dad?" Rina asked.

Logan sighed as he said, "That's why I came down here, Rina. It turns out Justin's family feel that it seems unfair to judge the hairball without meeting him or us, face to face. Since it seemed like a good idea for Justin's family to finally establish something between our groups, Chuck decided that later today, all of us go along with the Misfits and the Joes to spend the afternoon with them. And actually, Blind Master says that Justin's pops, Allo, is especially interested in meeting our resident hairball."

"Oh fur and tail," Jake groaned as the rest of the X-Men eagerly chatted about this new tidbit of news.

Logan grunted as he said with annoyance at Jake's worry, rolling his eyes, "Hairball, it's not the end of the world if you meet Whitelighter's family. You're stressing out over absolutely nothing, so put a lid on it and shut up. I mean, for crying out loud, what's the worst that could happen? They're only human. And they're welcomin' us, so they have some good points if they're eager to have us over despite what the news says about us day and night."

"Hello, people! Give us your undivided attention!" Pietro declared rather pompously as he teleported into the middle of the kitchen with Toad.

"And speaking of things being welcome, you two bubs are not exactly on the list," Wolverine grimaced before he gave the two Misfits the evil eye. Jake raised a paw.

"Let them stay. The two kittens aren't going to do much damage by themselves," Razor said, defending the two unwanted guests.

"As if, Jake!" griped Scott as he glared at Toad and Quicksilver, "So why aren't the rest of the Moron Brigade with you to bug and steal off of us? Not that I'm complaining mind you."

"They're still at the Pit, getting ready for this afternoon when we all go off to the Lavadome. Actually, we've been asked by Justin to brief you about his family," Todd said before he skillfully used his tongue to grab the two last remaining pieces of syrup-soaked French Toast from the serving plate, leaving a noticeable amount of green slime on the dish in the process.

"Gross!" Jubilee exclaimed, grimacing, "Toad, that's really sick! Could you please stop mooching off of us? Go get your own breakfast!"

"Why? I mean, we're already here, and you guys usually have a great selection of food, yo," Todd shrugged easily.

"So…what exactly did you want to tell us about Justin's family?" Piotr asked as he calmly ignored the distraction as best as he could (though not without some exasperation), frowning and not sure if he was going to like what was going to come out of the two Misfits' word of mouths.

Pietro grinned as he then said, "First off, what **do** you know about them? The guys who raised chubby-cheeks since he was dumped by Gideon and was raised by after his mother died?"

Bobby frowned before he ticked off the few scant facts they have gathered during their escapades and adventures with one hand as he recited, "Well, let's see…Justin lives with his aunt and uncles and has an adoptive father who's named Allo, and I guess he's from another country, and Allo hates Blind Master and really wanted to contact the X-Men first when Justin's mutation came up. Hmph, other than that, nothing really."

"**Ow!** _Cherie_, that hurt!" Remy wailed from the neighboring room.

"Good!" snapped Rogue as she kept beating him, "Cause then Justin won't be the only one Pietro'd be calling '_chubby-cheeks_' once I'm done with you!"

Piotr's eyes narrowed with curious suspicion as he asked the albino Misfit, "Why exactly are you asking? You better not be hiding anything, Maximoff."

Pietro grinned as he then said, "OK, long story short: Justin's family is a group of evolved alien dinosaurs that came from another planet, and they adopted Justin ever since they found him in the desert when he was a kid. His father is the leader of the group, and they call themselves the Dinosaucers, and they landed on Earth to escape their destruction of their old planet called Reptilion and are trying to survive on Earth and live a new life free from war and famine."

There was a shocked silence in the kitchen, so still that one could still hear the frying pan sizzling on the stove and the screams and squeals of pain from Gambit as Rogue continued to wail on him mercilessly. Toad and Pietro wished they had a camera to capture this one moment. Each and every one of the X-Men's faces, from the usually stoic Rina to the normally hyper and cheerful Jamie, were staring at the two Misfit messengers with a mixture of disbelief, surprise, deadpanned wonder, and a general frozen expression of _you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me_.

For about a minute, no one spoke. Kitty, then trying her best to make sure she didn't misheard them, asked, "Like…huh?"

Toad summed it up, "Justin's family are a bunch of good extraterrestrial dinosaurs from another planet, yo."

Five minutes later…

Back at the Pit, Lina, Fred, Justin and Lance were clearing away the breakfast dishes and cleaning the dining room and kitchen when Toad and Quicksilver teleported back in the middle of the room.

"Well?" Fred asked.

"We told them, yo," Todd affirmed.

"And…well, how did they take it?" Justin asked, nervous, but Pietro waved off his fears.

"They had no problem with your family being aliens. I believe Logan even said in his exact words, 'We'll just have to wait and see for ourselves'. So, as you can see for yourself, chubby-cheeks, there's no need to be nervous; they're gonna love meeting the Dinosaucers and the Secret Scouts."

Justin was ecstatic as he exclaimed with reprieve, "Oh, that's a relief. Thanks for telling them and being truthful about it. I really appreciate it."

And with that, Justin left to go tell Althea.

There was a short pause before Lance and Lina and Fred looked back at Pietro and Todd with a mixture of amusement and discomfort.

"They didn't believe you, did they?" Lance asked at last.

"Nearly choked on their laughter, if I recall, yo," Todd smirked.

"And of course, it'll be more entertaining when we videotape them running into the Dinosaucers for the first time with their own eyes," cackled his albino partner-in-crime.

"You do realize you're both going to Hell for this in a hand basket for this, correct?" Dragonfly had to groan, wincing.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it to see the look on the X-Geeks' faces when they meet Justin's family for the first time!" Pietro laughed maniacally, showing a toothy grin, "And besides, we didn't lie. We **did** tell the X-Men that Justin's family is a bunch of dinosaur aliens called the Dinosaucers. I just forgot to mention that they didn't believe us."

---

"Well, here we are, kids! Welcome to the Lavadome!" Shipwreck crowed as the Misfits and the Joes teleported in with the X-Men via the Mass Device, each and every one of the mutant teenagers were dressed in their civilian clothes along with the instructors. Thanks to permission of Allo and the other Dinosaucers, the protective force-fields around the alien base was lessened it its perimeters enough to allow the Joes and the Misfits to program the coordinates right into the outskirts of the area around Justin's home. However, since they figured that this is a good chance to have a beneficial first impression, Teryx, Itchy, and the Secret Scouts decided to set up an actual soccer field within the boundaries of the cloaking device, complete with stands, goals, and a quaint buffet filled with cold sodas, water, and sandwiches, enough to feed a regiment.

As Tricero and Bronto-Thunder pointed out, nothing could bring people together than a nice, rowdy game of sports.

"_Merde_, Remy think this be a weird place to live," remarked the Cajun X-Man as he looked around the desert, spotting the metal dome-like structure skillfully built among the sand and mountains surrounding the area as well as the large, rectangular plot of grassy earth created specifically for today's events.

Spirit then turned to the X-Men as he told them, "We're going over to the Lavadome to inform Allo and the others that you've arrived, but until then, feel free to talk with Justin and the Secret Scouts while the Misfits and the Joes take off."

"Actually, we'll just stay behind along with Justin too, if you don't mind, Spirit, yo," Todd said, trying to suppress a smile as he, Pietro, and Trinity nodded eagerly. Low Light narrowed his eyes.

"What are you five up to this time?" the sniper asked, but Cover Girl just gave her boyfriend a light punch before dragging him towards the Lavadome with the other Misfits and Joes.

"Quit so suspicious, Low Light. Let's not ruin this first-time meeting with Justin's family, all right? I'm sure the X-Men aren't going to go through anything unpleasant," she said with exasperation.

With that, they left towards the base while Todd, Pietro, and Trinity instantly dashed off for the stands, while Fred, predictably, started eating to his heart's content from the buffet table.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Sam asked with suspicion.

"Just wanna make sure we got a good view when we film the game!" Quinn called out, grinning from ear to ear, "And we're not just talking about the soccer one either!"

"Did that like any sense to you guys?" Kitty asked with a disturbed look on her face.

"There's are Shipwreck's children, Kitty," Ororo sighed, "We've stopped trying to figure them out a long while ago."

"Justin! Misfits!" called out a voice, and everyone turned around to see Sarah, Paul, David, and a somewhat reluctant Ryan rushing or ambling up to the visitors, the adult Secret Scouts dressed in comfortable T-shirts and sport clothing, ready for a nice friendly rumble with a game of soccer.

"That's Justin's family?" Hank asked, realizing how awkward he and Kurt must be appearing since neither of them were wearing image inducers, but if anything, only Ryan seemed slightly flustered. Paul, David, and Sarah had absolutely no problem with the X-Men in the slightest.

"Sarah, I missed you!" Justin exclaimed happily as the blond-haired young woman stooped down and gave her friend a hug. Then Justin turned to the X-Men before he exclaimed with delight and excitement.

"You guys, these are the Secret Scouts, the people who've been my closest friends since I was adopted! This is Sarah, that's Paul, that's David, and…the one lagging a bit behind is Ryan," Justin explained.

"Nice to meet you," chorused Sarah, Paul, and David. Ryan just nodded, but the Professor could sense and discern the slight nervousness and fear inside the young man's mind, but if anything, it apparently conflicted with feelings of loyalty and a desire to make Justin happy. Xavier smiled, knowing that if anything, Ryan was simply being honest. Justin turned to Ryan while Sarah, David, and Paul eagerly conversed and made small talk with the mutants.

"It's…been a while, Ryan," Justin said with gentle acceptance. Ryan didn't doubt that Justin hadn't forgotten that he was still slightly fearful of mutants…and not to mention how much of a jerk he acted when Justin's mutation first appeared.

"Yeah," Ryan said, being incredibly lame at trying to be polite and make conversation before he managed to confess, "Look Justin, I don't hate you or the Misfits or the X-Men. It's just…I still need time to get used to mutants, and I haven't been that quick to accept this yet. I'm sorry if this hurts."

"It doesn't," Justin said with compassion, "After all, you still came anyway, so that's what really matters."

Meanwhile, Sarah was squealing at how cute Nightcrawler was as she kept giggling and pinching his cheeks, feeling his fur between her fingers.

"You are so adorable, like an oversized beanie-baby!" Sarah laughed.

"Hey, how come you never cuddle and fawn over me like that?" David complained with humor and good-natured teasing. Sarah smiled back sweetly at her boyfriend.

"With all due respect, David, you're not blue and furry," the blond woman cackled. Ryan winced before he rubbed his temples.

"Sarah, too much information," the blond-haired adult groaned, closing his eyes and wondering if it was too late to go back home and lie down after taking some aspirin and whiskey.

Kurt just smiled with pride as he said, "What can I say, _die Freudin_? Chicks love the fuzzy dude!"

Paul then realized something as he broke out of his conversation with Hank over genetic research techniques as he said out loud, "Hey, aren't we supposed to play soccer? Where's the equipment and the soccer ball and the cones needed to make the lines and goals?"

David cursed under his breath before he slapped his head, "Argh, I forgot! I still left them over at the Lavadome! They're still in the recreation room where I dropped it off!"

"Oh, that's no problem! I can orb us there so that we don't have to run all the way back to the Lavadome!" Justin said, eager to help.

"Sounds good. You guys'll be all right while we get the stuff we need for the soccer game? We'll be back in less than a minute," Paul asked, and Xavier nodded. With that, Justin and the other Secret Scouts joined hands before teleporting back to the Lavadome.

"So they're the Secret Scouts?" Jubilee asked, "They seemed really nice."

"Still, this is going to be a disaster like when we tried playing baseball with the Misfits before, remember?" Sam groaned.

"How could we forget that, Samuel? I still have the burn marks in my skin from one of Tabitha's time-bombs she used in place of the baseball," groaned Hank.

"What are you X-Men talking about?" a voice asked above the X-Men and from behind, and Sam continued on blithely as he and his friends turned around.

"Oh, we're just talking about how we tried playing mutant baseball with the Misfits one time over at the Institute and how it led to pretty much a disaster that resulted in…in…" and the country-bred X-Man just stopped, his voice died in his throat as he and the other X-Men just realized who was talking to them.

It was a gigantic humanoid, long-necked dinosaur, with light blue-green skin and wearing a strange suit of green and blue metallic armor around his chest and lower body along with arm and leg guards of matching design, and the brontosaurus had playful brown eyes, and though awkwardly upright, he was powerfully muscled and well-built. But if anything, he just stood there with his hands behind his back and looking casually down upon the group of mutants in front of him.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Bronto-Thunder said in a friendly voice.

"And cue the cameras…" cackled Pietro as Todd and Trinity began filming.

Each and every one of the X-Men's faces blanched, pure white and frozen with alarm, fright, and devastating jolt, and some such as Bobby and Forge were babbling incoherently while pointing at Bronto-Thunder and trying their best to form intelligible words. The others were just shell-shocked, unable to determine if what they were witnessing was real or an illusion, and Ray and Scott's eyes twitched ever so slightly. Only Jamie seemed completely untroubled and was rather awed at the sight of a living and breathing flesh-and-blood dinosaur.

"Oh wow!" Jamie gasped out in amazement, but Scott and Rina dragged him backwards as the X-Men made moves to attack, thinking Bronto-Thunder was a hostile threat.

"Jamie, get back! He might hurt you!" Cyclops roared as his hands went for his glasses.

"Come any closer, and we'll slice you to shreds, lizard!" Rina snarled as she drew out her claws. If anything, Bronto-Thunder just blinked, confused, and not making any move to advance towards the group of mutant heroes. Puzzled, the Dinosaucer just innocently remained where he was, easy-going and as non-threatening as before.

"Um…OK?" Bronto-Thunder remarked, unsure what exactly to feel. But before the Professor could make any decisions on how to handle this unknown and potential danger who towered over them by more than five times their heights, Justin and the other Secret Scouts orbed in front of the creature, their backs turned to it and facing the X-Men as they brought a huge sack of sporting equipment for the game.

"Hey, we're back! Sorry about the delay!" David said.

All the X-Men then frantically made movements and hand-gestures for the Secret Scouts to get out of the way so that they can attack, but unfortunately, Justin, Sarah, Ryan, David, and Paul only got even more confused. Bronto-Thunder actually seemed incredibly amused, as if this was nothing more than a comical farce to him. Justin then got the hint as he raised his head and looked up to the sky into the amused face of Bronto-Thunder.

"The X-Men are a bit peculiar, aren't they, Justin?" the brontosaurus chuckled.

Justin smiled eagerly as he chimed, "Hey, BT."

That one sentence of familiarity and fondness instead of the expected fear and terror just left the X-Men reeling, taken aback and gaping with expressions of the utmost disbelief and kick-in-the-teeth astonishment.

"What the - ?" Forge blurted out.

"_Mein Gott!_ Justin, you know him?" Kurt asked, his eyes wide.

Justin gave Kurt a very puzzled look, as if that was an incredibly silly question, as he then explained, "Of course I know BT; he's my uncle."

Had anyone been filming this (and Todd and Trinity _were_ from the stands), they could have pictured the very moment each and every one of the X-Men's minds snapped from this statement. The looks of confused and mortified disbelief on their faces were absolutely priceless.

"Your…**uncle**?" rasped out Bobby hoarsely.

"Hey, I see you X-Men have already met BT!" Shipwreck called out from behind and the X-Men whirled around to come across the next mammoth bombshell and unwelcome shocker of the day.

"Holy crap!" Ray exclaimed.

"What the hell?" Logan blurted out, his jaw dropping and his eyes crinkled with flabbergasted skepticism.

"Oh my goddamned stars and garters," Beast swore as he and the others looked on.

Indeed, to deliver another powerful blow to the X-Men's sanity, the Misfits and Joes were sauntering in a carefree manner alongside the Dinosaucers themselves, all of them of various species and colors and sizes and wearing telltale metallic uniforms.

"Uh…can anyone tell me if they're seeing what I'm seeing, or if I've just become delusional?" Tabitha asked restlessly and apprehensively.

"If you mean to ask if you're seeing a bunch of overgrown dinosaurs walking and talking and acting like humans wearing strange suits of metal, then no, you're not hallucinating. This is definitely real," Forge murmured, not sure how much more he could take.

Justin noticed their unease as he spoke out, "Um…are you guys all right? They're a big group and maybe a bit boisterous and out of control sometimes, but the Dinosaucers are the friendliest aliens you could ever meet. They're really eager to see and meet you."

It then clicked into place.

Rogue then managed to speak first, "Let me get this straight…Justin…your adopted family…the ones that raised you since you were a kid…**_is a bunch of dinosaur aliens from another planet?_**"

"Yeah…" blinked Xi, "I thought…Pietro told you…didn't he?"

"We did," Pietro cackled, enjoying this for everything it was worth as he zoomed up besides Xi, "We just neglected to mention that they didn't believe us at first."

"Suddenly, I feel a headache coming on," Althea sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

"Pietro…" Jean hissed, red in the face and trying her best to smile with her teeth bared and suppress her eyebrow twitching in order to keep up appearances, "Just so you know…when there's no witnesses, you and Toad are going to pay big time for this one."

"Oh…" Justin realized, wincing and now incredibly uncomfortable and nervous for his teammates and for the X-Men, "Oh boy…Pietro didn't tell me that last part."

"**_COMPY!_**" roared a gruff and incredibly irate voice as the X-Men saw a black-skinned, humanoid velociraptor with red eyes chase after a diminutive, neon-red compsagnathus dinosaur, with the shorter alien screaming his lungs out for someone to save him. Unfortunately, no one really wanted to get in the middle of the skirmish as Raptor finally managed to take a flying leap and tackle Compy to the ground before he started to beat him mercilessly.

"Ah! Ow! Ah! Ow! Yaaarrrggghh! Owie, owie, owie! Someone – yeow – get – ouch – this – oof – butthead – agh – offa me! Yeow! Ow, ow, ow!" the crimson reptile hollered in pain as he kept trying to shield and block the numerous punches to his body.

"Stand still and die, you little dino-vermin!" Raptor kept bellowing with bile and seething fury, "Think the itching powder in my uniform was funny, you little maggot? Huh? You'll be lucky to even walk again when I'm through with you, you fungus-infested, garbage-dwelling, swamp rat!"

"For some reason, it just sounds wrong to hear someone else use that insult," Rogue remarked as she watched this with some disturbance, "I don't really know why, but it just feels wrong…"

Deciding to save face, a large, brown reptile that looked incredibly similar to a tyrannosaurus rex specimen, while having humanistic arms and limbs, strode over gently and knelt down in front of Professor Xavier while gently holding out a hand to Professor Xavier in a polite and friendly manner.

"I'm Allo, leader of the Dinosaucers and Justin's father," the Dinosaucer said with sincere politeness, and despite the awkward gargantuan size difference, Charles Xavier managed to smile as he took the extraterrestrial's hand and shook it gently.

"It…is a pleasure to meet you at last then, Allo," Xavier grinned, though deep inside, he was still trying to come to terms that he was in the presence of dinosaur-aliens.

"**_That's_** Justin's father?" gaped Amara, "He looks like he could give the Juggernaut a pounding without breaking a sweat!"

Allo then continued, "The Dinosaucer you have just met previously was Bronto-Thunder, also known as BT, and the two you see fighting in the distance are Raptor and Compy. Here, our resident medical expert and technological inventor, Dimetro, and his assistant, Teryx, along with her fiancé, Itchy. Then we have Tricero along with his niece, Montacera, and my nephew, Bonehead and his friend, Stego. And then there is Struthio, our field tracker, and our scholar, Plateo, or as well call him, Plato."

All the Dinosaucers nodded, smiling, their acknowledgement at the mutants.

Beast then finally understood as he exclaimed, "Stars and garters, I get it now! Allo is an allosaurus, so of course his name stems from the first syllable of his genus classification!"

"Huh?" Tabitha said, lost already. Roberto summed it up for the plasma-bomb maker.

"In other words, each Dinosaucer's name is based after its dinosaur species," the Brazilian teen said.

Allo's eyes narrowed a bit before he crossed his brawny arms over his chest and stared down at the mutant teenagers, saying in a deadpanned tone, "All right, now that introductions are done and over with…which one of you is Jake Clawson?"

"**_HE IS!_**" yelled all the boys of the X-Men fearfully and automatically as they backed away from Razor and pointed at their instructor. Razor blinked and looked around wildly before he realized that they ratted him out, and the kat, along with the X-Girls, gave the male members of the X-Men a deadpanned glare.

"Thanks a lot, kittens," Jake retorted a bit sarcastically, his tone acidic.

Allo glared at the diminutive kat, his claws twitching and rumblings of irritation emerging from his throat.

"Dad, you promised you wouldn't overreact and give him a chance and try to get to know him!" Justin protested next to his father.

"A chance for what? For a thirty second head-start before your Dad kills him? Or a chance to help Jake learn what life would be like neutered?" Bobby asked sarcastically.

"You're not helping, Bobby," Ororo sighed tiredly.

"Actually, it's giving me a few ideas, I daresay…" Allo grumbled.

"Dad!" Justin moaned in aggravation.

Allo sighed and composed himself before he began again with a more cordial tone, "I apologize, Mr. Clawson. It's just…I am very protective when it comes to Justin. I do not want him to be hurt, and if you truly wish to be able to see that your feelings for my son are genuine, I need to see that you're sincere and that you'd explain to me how you wish to continue in this relationship in an appropriate manner if I trust you and your judgment."

Despite the pounding in his chest, Jake took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "If that's what you wish, I'll do it, Allo."

"Good, then let's talk…just you and me," Allo said in a somewhat stern voice as he led a slightly apprehensive Jake away, one hand clamped on the kat's shoulder like a vise.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that we're watching Jake as if he's marching on his way to the gallows?" Lance asked no one in particular as they watched on.

"Yes," everyone around him replied. Roadblock coughed before he tried to take control of the situation.

"So, who's up for a soccer game or two? Let's have a real contest between the Dinosaucers and the mutants, through and through!"

Unfortunately, after fifteen minutes…

"**_Shipwreck, come back here and die!_**" Ororo was heard screaming, now completely drenched with soda and Gatorade, as she took off in the skies after the G.I. Joe sailor as kept trying to shock him with lightning while he ran for his life. And she wasn't the only one. In about a quarter of an hour, the entire soccer field was nothing more than a torn-up square of messy dirt and charred, smoking holes where the intermittent explosion or stray energy discharge had struck while a four way fight between the X-Men, the Misfits, the Dinosaucers, and the Secret Scouts emerged as a violent and quarrelling free-for-all.

Justin sighed as he watched from the sidelines, wisely not getting into the fight as he saw Jake approach him (and much to his relief, there was no evidence of any bodily harm).

"So, how did it go between you and my Dad?" Justin asked.

Jake had to give a very shaky smile as he clarified, "Well, you Dad managed to let me know, despite the number of threats he told me that were enough to put the fear of God into my heart, that as much as he doesn't approve of the age difference, he can see that I do care very much about you, especially since you're helped me with Chance and how I protected you back at Apokolips. Of course, he wasn't pleased about the kissing incident either, and I think he was very nearly close to snapping my neck at that point, but in the end…your Dad says if this is what you want, then there's no reason why we can't see each other, under the conditions that we take it slow and that I wait until you're eighteen before we can even start thinking of anything physical. And Blind Master says he'll be around to make sure nothing gets past that. But to tell you the truth, I really didn't have a problem with it. I meant it when I told the Joes that I did not want to do anything until you're older and that though I do like you, I also want to establish this a little more…if you want."

"Drake, come back here and die!" Blob roared as he chased after Bobby, a good portion of his rear end now completely covered with ice, as the obese Misfit now pursued the X-Man with the full intent of payback and retribution in the form of a nuclear wedgie.

"So where's Dad now?" Whitelighter asked.

"Moore, get back here and explain to me why in the name of Reptilion did you not tell me about that battle with Trigon?" Allo was heard shouting.

Jake winced as he explained, "Well, apparently, Allo wanted to talk with Blind Master some more considering he's a bit pissed at the fact that I accidentally let it slip about how you fought with the Teen Titans along with the other X-Men and Misfits, and Allo wasn't pleased to learnt that Blind Master kept that little tidbit of information from him."

"Oh dear," Justin sighed as both Jake and he watched the numerous fights and screaming matches alongside the field.

Justin then asked hesitantly, "Jake?"

"Yeah?" the kat asked as he turned his attention to the teenage Misfit.

"Do you really think wanting to be with me is worth it? Even…well, after seeing this and how much trouble it's going to be in the long run? The fighting, the arguing, the general chaos, and the fact that my Dad and Blind Master are going to be watching you like hawks and want nothing better than to see you in a hole in the ground six feet deep? I…I don't want you hurt."

The ex-SWAT Kat had to give rueful smile as he asked for clarification, "And this is any different from the normal life of being an X-Man or a Misfit how, exactly? If I recall correctly, we have enough enemies that want to see all of us dead to make a telephone directory book!"

"Good point."

There was several more tense seconds of silence as the two of them watched the fights and the futile attempts for the adults and other Dinosaucers in breaking them up before Jake turned to Justin with some concern.

"Just so we're clear, kitten: are you…well, are you willing to be with me? I mean, when Cover Girl said if we had some time to think and dwell on it and not rush into things, I sort of had to agree with her. I…I do want to develop something with you, but…I want it to go slowly. And the last thing I want is to make you feel uncomfortable that we're rushing into this too quickly for our own good and that you'd think I'm taking advantage of you for impure reasons."

Justin had to think about that before he then answered back nervously, his chest suddenly feeling crushed from apprehension, "Yes, I still do. I admit, when I first met you, it was really based on attraction, but I thought nothing would come from it, and now that it does happen, it is a little scary. And yeah, I still want to develop something, but I have to agree and say I'm relieved that you don't want to rush into this either, especially with Dad and Blind Master still not calmed down from finding out about this."

"**_That's it! You are dead-meat, Moore!_**" Allo was heard roaring in the background before he touched the button on his armor and dinovolved into a prehistoric version of the allosaurus before the G.I. Joe had to dash for his life with a bloodthirsty carnivore reptile chasing after him.

"I…I do like you though," Justin then admitted.

Jake relaxed, his eyes twinkling, as he said, "Good, because I like you too, kitten. Heck, in all my nine lives, anyone who can give me a chance to say goodbye to a…past friend, I can't help but have some affection for."

"**_Compy, come back here and die!_** And you two will be next after I'm through ripping every one of that dino-rat's entrails out of his mangled body!" Raptor roared as he chased after Compy, Bobby, and Kurt, now completely covered with blue shaving cream, his teeth and powerful claws bared.

Itchy, on the other hand, yelped in pain when one of Bezerker's electricity blasts truck the end of his dolphin-like tail, singing it, and the Dinosaucer yelled with ire, "Yeow! _That hurt!_ All right, Sparky, you're asking for it now!"

And with that, Ray was grabbed in a tight bear hug by the ichyosaurus, which was cue for Forge and Fred to try to stop him from wringing Ray's neck.

"Toad, you come back here and clean this stuff off us right now!" Sarah was heard screaming as Todd dashed by, whooping, while the female Secret Scout along with Amara, Teryx, and Lina chased after him, all covered with green, noxious-smelling slime.

"Yo, to be fair, I was aiming at your brother, Sarah! And by the way, I love the new look!" Toad tried to protest, but he was too busy laughing at the sight of the mucus on their heads and faces.

"And we'll show **you** another new look, wart-farm! Black and blue is going to be the rage this year!" Amara screamed as she continued pitching fireballs at the frog-like Misfit while Teryx opened her wings and took to the skies along with Lina.

"Think you Dinosaucers and Secret Scouts are gonna be able to handle our kids?" Logan asked idly as he, Professor Xavier, Roadblock, Spirit, and Cover Girl stood alongside Tricero and Dimetro, taking no part in the fighting. Dimetro sighed.

"I suppose Justin could have met _worse_ humans…and Allo isn't exactly being a gracious host," the alien groaned as they all watched Blind Master smack the back of the dinovolved Allo's kneecap painfully with his cane when Allo attempted to trample him.

"Anybody care for a drink while we let the X-Men and Misfits get the fight out of their system along with Allo and the others?" Tricero suggested, feeling the urge of another headache as he rubbed his forehead.

Roadblock grinned as he rhymed, "Tricero, my buddy, you just said the magic word for whenever these kids are involved, _any_ alcohol is preferred!"

"Good, because I hope you know that Reptilion beer and alcohol is not something you Earthlings will probably be used to on the account that it's even stronger and has a higher content than Russian vodka and Japanese sake combined," Tricero said as he, Dimetro, and their guests started ambling back to the Lavadome. Logan had a very wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Dimetro, Tricero…I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship, bubs," Logan said. The group of adults headed back to the Dinosaucers' base, leaving Razor and Whitelighter alone to witness the spectacle. Despite the din over the fighting and brawling (and occasional energy blast), Jake then had to raise an eyebrow at a private joke as he turned back to Justin.

"Do you remember accidentally orbing into my room before we left for Jump City to help the Teen Titans?" the kat asked, "And do you also remember sympathizing with me over my grief at Chance's death, even though you yourself have been abandoned by your biological father, your mother died and leaving you an orphan, and being adopted by a bunch of somewhat-insane alien dinosaurs before being recruited for the army?"

"Yeah…" Justin said slowly, not sure where this was going.

"And _you_ were comforting _me_?" Jake asked with wry humor and disbelief. Justin had to think about that comment for a minute before he himself giggled at the irony.

"Yeah, I know. Scary, isn't it?" Justin remarked as he and Jake continued watching the fights throughout the soccer field.

_The End_

**Author's Notes: Check back next Friday when I write the next one-shot featuring the Charmed Ones, the Scoobies, the Slayers, and Angel Investigations as they adjust to the new lives of being Ghostbusters, thanks with the gracious permission of Sparky Genocide! Until then, read and enjoy this one-shot! Constructive criticism welcome!**


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